The purpose of a torque converter attaching means, such as a drive plate, is to transmit torque, under minor misalignment conditions, between a vehicle engine and a transmission. Conventionally, a drive plate is secured at its inner periphery to the engine drive shaft, such as by bolts, and rigidly secured, as by bolts and/or alignment pins, to the housing for the torque converter; which housing is connected to and drives the impeller or pump of the torque converter.
The attaching means between the engine drive shaft and the torque converter must be flexible enough to accommodate minor misalignment, but must be stiff enough to avoid excessive axial movement of the torque converter. A drive strap would appear to be an economical way to achieve the function of transmitting torque, however, such a strap is generally too flexible to limit the axial movement of the converter under thrust load. The present invention overcomes the above disadvantages of a flexible drive strap for driving a torque converter.